Bungaree A Native Chief of N.S. Wales

London-born Augustus Earle was a curious and restless artist who travelled widely, visiting countries on the Mediterranean, as well as North and South America and parts of Asia, and in the 1820s spending time in Australia. From 1825 to 1828 Earle was regarded as the leading professional artist in New South Wales and during this period, he made several portraits of Bungaree.

Bungaree (c.1775–1830), a Guringai man from the Broken Bay area on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, was a well-known figure in colonial Sydney, with accounts from the period commenting on his wit, engaging personality and extraordinary command of the English language. He was also a key participant in early voyages of exploration and in 1802 accompanied Matthew Flinders on his voyage around Australia in the Investigator. 

In this image, Bungaree is shown wearing his distinctive military attire and a crescent-shaped gorget or king plate, which was given to him in 1815 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Created after Earle’s return to London in 1830, this is the only known impression of this lithograph.

Julie Robinson, Senior Curator Prints, Drawings and Photographs